String to list in Python

>>> 'QH QD JC KD JS'.split()
['QH', 'QD', 'JC', 'KD', 'JS']

split:

Return a list of the words in the
string, using sep as the delimiter
string. If maxsplit is given, at most
maxsplit splits are done (thus, the
list will have at most maxsplit+1
elements). If maxsplit is not
specified, then there is no limit on
the number of splits (all possible
splits are made).

If sep is given, consecutive
delimiters are not grouped together
and are deemed to delimit empty
strings (for example,
'1,,2'.split(',') returns ['1', '', '2']). The sep argument may consist of
multiple characters (for example,
'1<>2<>3'.split('<>') returns ['1', '2', '3']). Splitting an empty string
with a specified separator returns
[''].

If sep is not specified or is None, a
different splitting algorithm is
applied: runs of consecutive
whitespace are regarded as a single
separator, and the result will contain
no empty strings at the start or end
if the string has leading or trailing
whitespace. Consequently, splitting an
empty string or a string consisting of
just whitespace with a None separator
returns [].

For example, ' 1 2 3 '.split()
returns ['1', '2', '3'], and ' 1 2 3 '.split(None, 1) returns ['1', '2 3 '].